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Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Low-Sugar Flourless Apple Crisp made with Olive Oil is Vegan and Gluten-Free!

Yesterday I started my annual count-down to Thanksgiving by posting the 2009 edition of Low-Glycemic Thanksgiving recipes. That post has some recipes from this year that I think would make good options to add to the master list of Thanksgiving Recipes, and I promised I'd be adding even more ideas during November, starting with this delicious low sugar and healthful version of apple crisp. This is a recipe with something for everyone! Not only is this a perfect dessert option for anyone who's following the South Beach Diet or another type of low-glycemic eating plan, but it's also vegan, and with the right ingredient choices it could be gluten-free. (Of course, if you don't care about the whole low sugar thing, you can go ahead and make it with sugar too.)

I'd been thinking about making low-sugar apple crisp, but the idea of making apple crisp with olive oil came from Olive Oil Baking, a book that intrigued me so much I just had to buy it. This recipe is adapted from their version, but I got the idea of using almond flour in the crisp topping from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana from Elana's Pantry. I've always liked apple crisp, but hadn't made it for years, and I was thrilled with how this turned out. (Actually, thrilled enough to eat a big bowl of it for breakfast one day, which is one reason it's good that it's low-sugar and flourless!)

I started by blending the oats in the food processor for a finer crumb for the topping. (Next time I might blend them even more.) Then I let the food processor blend the Splenda or Stevia Granulated and Almond Flour with the oats.

Put the crumb mixture in a bowl, then make a well in the center and add the olive oil and vanilla.

Wash hands, then use your fingers to mix the olive oil/vanilla mixture through the topping until it all seems moistened and looks crumbly.

If you want chopped walnuts or pecans in the topping, this is the time to add them. (Next time I'd probably skip the nuts.)

I made the topping first so the apples wouldn't get brown, and using the apple corer helped to make peeling and slicing the apples a bit quicker.

Combine peeled apples with Splenda or Stevia and cinnamon, then stir so all the apple slices are coated.

Put apples into a baking dish that's been sprayed with non-stick spray or olive oil. I used this baking dish, which was just right for the small size I made, but you could double the recipe and use a larger dish.

Top the sweetened apples with the crumb topping, spreading it out so the surface of the apples is completely covered.

When it's done, the surface of the crumb topping will be nicely browned, and the apple mixture will be slightly bubbling.

If desired, use a food processor to process the rolled oats about 2-3 minutes, until they're a finer grind. (This is optional.) Use food processor to mix almond flour and Splenda or Stevia into the oats mixture, or put oats in bowl and mix with a spoon. (If you're adding nuts, measure 1/3 cup walnuts or pecans, then chop coarsely with chef's knife and add to the mixture.) Make a well in the center, then pour olive oil and vanilla into the well. Wash hands if needed, then use your fingers to blend the oil and vanilla into the oat mixture.

Peel apples, cut out cores, and thinly slice. (I used an apple corer, then peeled the slices and cut each one in half.) Put apple slices in a bowl, sprinkle Splenda or Stevia and cinnamon over apples, then stir until all the apples are well coated with the Splenda and cinnamon.

Put apples in baking dish and top with the crumb topping, spreading it out so the surface of apples is completely covered with the crumb mixture. Bake 45-50 minutes, until the topping is slightly browned and apples are cooked through and slightly bubbling. Serve hot or cold. This will keep in the fridge for a few days, but it probably won't last that long.

The use of Splenda or Stevia in the Raw and olive oil would make this version of apple crisp especially suitable for the South Beach Diet, but this is phase 2 or 3 due to the oatmeal in the crisp topping. Even though Splenda or Stevia are low in calories, the almond flour is a calorie-dense food, so use portion control if you're actively trying to lose weight.

Nutritional Information?
I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

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Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

Ronelle, I agree. (Not that I actually feel guilty if I eat the more sugar-laden types, but you can certainly eat more of this type!)

Winnie, I love the idea of using olive oil instead of butter.

Nida, sorry you didn't like it. Did you use a food processor to grind up the oats? I do know that oatmeal is pretty commonly used in the topping for apple crisp, but maybe you have never had that type?

Not sure why, but I'm not getting some of the comments in my e-mail so they're not getting published in a timely manner. Sorry about that. (Toni, I was not ignoring you, just found your comment. Actually it's the potential for getting too brown that I worried about with the nuts, should have made that more clear.)

Lydia, the best almond flour comes from Utah, so let me know if you want me to send you some.

Cara, I think either almond meal or almond flour will work in this, but there is a difference.

Kyrielle, I'm not that knowledgeable about gluten-free baking, but there are some gluten-free baking mixes you can buy. My friend Karina is an expert on gluten-free baking and also has nut allergies, so you might like her blog: Karina's Kitchen.

It's apple season, so I made this delicious apple crisp for dessert tonight. Marvelous! The only modification I made: I added a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses for just a touch of brown sugar flavour. You're right: this won't be lasting long in the fridge, because there's hardly any left already!

Thanks for sharing this recipe! I'm not sure if it was meant to be that way or if I messed it up somehow, but the topping ended up a little on the dry side for me. Still yummy though. I'm thinking of having it for breakfast tomorrow, possibly adding a bit of milk before microwaving it.

First of all I love this Blog, Thank you so much for all your great recipes.

As a South Beach Dieter, I am a big fan of the almond flour--which is key to many of your recipes. Only problem is, it is very expensive! Does anyone have suggestions for a cheaper product? Does Costco supply it in bulk? Any alternatives?

I haven't seen almond flour at Costco. The cheapest place I know to buy it (and it's not super cheap there either) is at Honeyville and that's somewhere I can drive to so I'm not sure how their shipping charges are. I do know a few other people who are not in Utah who also order it there though, so I'm guessing it might be the best deal on it you can get.

Thanks for joining the conversation! I love hearing from readers and even though I can't always reply to every comment, I will always answer specific questions on a recipe as soon as possible. Sometimes I'm answering by iPhone, so my replies may be short!

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